2000s: The Innovators

Rommel Conclara ’03 is a reporter and Bay Area news correspondent for Balitang America, an ABS-CBN network product. Prior to his career as a broadcaster and journalist, Conclara enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving a tour of duty in Iraq in 2006.

He flourished as a student, involving himself in a number of clubs and activities.

“I was an all-around student,” Conclara remembered. “I was an active member of the Pilipino American Coalition (PAC) and founding member of its tinikling performing team.”

It was then that he embraced his Filipino culture, which he took with him to his career in the media. Conclara was also a varsity cross-country runner and track star. In the band he shined, playing the flute. During his senior year, he was student body vice president.

In September, Conclara returned to the Riordan community to lead the annual fall Kairos for seniors. As a student, he was also very involved in Campus Ministry and the LIFE team.

To say that Conclara was an outgoing student would be an understatement. Directly after his high school graduation, he knew he was destined to help people.

During the second semester of his senior year, tensions in the Middle East were heating up. The United States of America and three other countries invaded Iraq, which prompted the beginning of a war that lasted more than eight years. Conclara made a decision to enlist in the United States Marines Corps to help serve the country. Upon coming back to the states when his deployment was over, he noticed a divide in the country with the way the war was being covered.

Conclara said, “After the invasion of Iraq in 2003, my deployment in 2006, and the years after, I really noticed the difference in reporting and programming between cable news like Fox versus CNN, versus MSNBC.”

As a result, he decided to pursue a career in broadcasting and journalism, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast and Communication Arts with an emphasis on Broadcast Journalism from San Francisco State University.

“I wanted to be part of this field to try and keep some sanity among the American people,” Conclara said. “I did not like how there was this division among Americans being caused by these opinionated anchors.”

When his internship at ABS-CBN International was over, he was hired by the company to cover his Filipino heritage full-time. Recently, Conclara launched “The Last Piece Podcast,” where he interviews Filipino influencers. The podcast can be found on Spotify and SoundCloud.